Reuters Sports News Summary

UFC has withdrawn a bout from Saturday's card in Jacksonville after middleweight Jacare Souza and two of his cornermen tested positive for the new coronavirus, the mixed martial arts promotion said. Brazilian-born Souza was supposed to fight American Uriah Hall at UFC 249, which was originally scheduled for April 18 in New York but postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Cycling: Vuelta cancels stages in Portugal amid COVID-19 crisis

This year's Tour of Spain will not go through Portugal as planned because of the COVID-19 crisis, organisers said on Saturday. "Due to the exceptional situation caused by the COVID-19 crisis and given the impossibility of guaranteeing optimal conditions for the smooth passage of the race in the country, the municipalities of Porto, Matosinhos and Viseu, in agreement with Unipublic, organisers of La Vuelta, have decided to cancel the passage of La Vuelta 20 in Portugal," Unipublic said in a statement.

ATP tour chief not ruling out 2020 return

Despite the growing possibility of a total wipeout of professional tennis this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, ATP Tour chief Andrea Gaudenzi is refusing to give up on 2020 just yet. The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the hiatus will continue at least until mid-July with many countries in lockdown to contain the virus.

NCAA president: Sports won't return until campuses reopen

College sports will not resume until all students are back on campus, NCAA president Mark Emmert said Friday. Speaking on the NCAA's Twitter feed regarding the start of college athletics amid the coronavirus pandemic, Emmert dismissed any notion of sports restarting before classrooms reopen.

Gymnastics: Italian Lodadio cultivates his garden to stay fit

Gymnasts around the world have been trying to stay fit amid tough restrictions during the COVID-19 crisis, and Italy is no exception. With the country's gym clubs and training facilities closed for more than two months as part of government measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, gymnast Marco Lodadio, a silver medallist in the rings event at the 2019 world championships, turned his garden into a fitness studio. Without the sophisticated facilities top-level athletes usually use, Lodadio worked on a swing structure to make it suitable for rings training. "Before the start of the quarantine, I managed to set up a small structure in my garden so I can train for a couple of hours a day to stay in shape," the 28-year-old said.

Reports: Silver says NBA doesn't expect fans back this year

With major sports leagues preparing for the eventuality of restarting behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic, NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly took the concept to the next level on Friday. The NBA might end up playing with no fans in the stands into next year barring the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, Silver reportedly said during a conference call open to all NBA players.

U.S. women's soccer team file to appeal equal pay ruling

The U.S. women's soccer team have filed to appeal a district court decision handed down last week that dismissed their claims for equal pay, a spokesperson for the team said on Friday. The team suffered an unexpected blow to their high-profile case against their federation when the court threw out the players' claims that they were under paid in comparison with the men's national team.

Reports: MLB shortens draft to five rounds

Major League Baseball reportedly cut the 2020 draft down to five rounds on Friday, immediately drawing criticism. The status of the draft had been in flux amid the coronavirus pandemic, with reports in late March indicating the date would be pushed back to July.

Grand Slam tally should decide 'GOAT' debate, says Lendl

Eight-time Grand Slam winner Ivan Lendl said whoever ends up winning the most majors among the 'Big Three' of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic should be considered the greatest male tennis player of the Open era. The "GOAT" (greatest of all time) debate in men's tennis has divided opinions for a decade and remains a hot topic as the trio continue to dominate the field, sharing the last 13 majors among them.

None more unbeatable than Djokovic at his best, says Martin

There is no one more unbeatable in men's tennis than Novak Djokovic when the Serb is at his best, former world number four American Todd Martin has said. Reigning world number one Djokovic has already established himself as one of the best ever to play the game and the Serb's Grand Slam haul of 17 is just three behind the 20 that Roger Federer has amassed. The Swiss player will be 39 in August.